Veteran Orioles infielder is blowing his chance after Jackson Holliday injury

When Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday had to have hand surgery, which will keep him out of action until at least April, it opened the door for another infielder to make the team who would otherwise not have had much of a shot. Thairo Estrada fits that bill perfectly, but he's completely blowing his chance so far in spring training.

Baltimore signed Estrada hoping he could add a little depth up the middle. So far down, he has just one hit in 17 at-bats. That's just not going to cut it if he wants to make the team as he needed to set the world on fire in spring training.

Orioles need to figure out infield depth after Jackson Holliday injury

Estrada was once a really solid player for the San Francisco Giants. The New York Yankees traded him to San Francisco which is where he established himself as an everyday starter at second base.

He had three solid, productive years for the Giants from 2021 to 2023. Collectively across those three seasons he slashed .266/.320/.416 with 35 home runs, 133 RBI, and 45 stolen bases. Add in the fact that he was a solid defender at second and he was one of the best all-around players for the Giants in those years which is part of why he earned the Willie Mac Award in 2023.

His 2024 campaign, however, was more of a struggle and the Giants moved on from him after demoting him. Perhaps the fact that Craig Albernaz saw Estrada when he was at his peak with the Giants is why the Orioles decided to take a chance on him.

At this point, there's little chance that Estrada will make the team unless there are a lot of injuries. The Orioles will most likely have to turn to Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson at second base to start the year while Holliday works to get healthy. Based on Holliday's recent comments, it doesn't seem like the young phenom will be out for long.